Unveiling the Potent Antiviral and Antioxidant Activities of an Aqueous Extract from <i>Caesalpinia mimosoides</i> Lamk: Cheminformatics and Molecular Docking Approaches
Anuwatchakij Klamrak,
Jaran Nabnueangsap,
Jaraspim Narkpuk,
Yutthakan Saengkun,
Piyapon Janpan,
Napapuch Nopkuesuk,
Arunrat Chaveerach,
Samaporn Teeravechyan,
Shaikh Shahinur Rahman,
Theerawat Dobutr,
Poramet Sitthiwong,
Pornsuda Maraming,
Natsajee Nualkaew,
Nisachon Jangpromma,
Rina Patramanon,
Sakda Daduang,
Jureerut Daduang
Affiliations
Anuwatchakij Klamrak
Division of Pharmacognosy and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Jaran Nabnueangsap
Salaya Central Instrument Facility RSPG, Research Management and Development Division, Office of the President, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Jaraspim Narkpuk
Virology and Cell Technology Research Team, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
Yutthakan Saengkun
Division of Pharmacognosy and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Piyapon Janpan
Division of Pharmacognosy and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Napapuch Nopkuesuk
Division of Pharmacognosy and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Arunrat Chaveerach
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Samaporn Teeravechyan
Virology and Cell Technology Research Team, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
Shaikh Shahinur Rahman
Division of Pharmacognosy and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Theerawat Dobutr
Division of Pharmacognosy and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Our group previously demonstrated that Caesalpinia mimosoides Lamk exhibits many profound biological properties, including anticancer, antibacterial, and antioxidant activities. However, its antiviral activity has not yet been investigated. Here, the aqueous extract of C. mimosoides was prepared from the aerial parts (leaves, stalks, and trunks) to see whether it exerts anti-influenza (H1N1) effects and to reduce the organic solvents consumed during extraction, making it a desirable approach for the large-scale production for medical uses. Our plant extract was quantified to contain 7 g of gallic acid (GA) per 100 g of a dry sample, as determined using HPLC analysis. It also exerts potent antioxidant activities comparable to those of authentic GA. According to untargeted metabolomics (UPLC-ESI(-)-QTOF-MS/MS) with the aid of cheminformatics tools (MetFrag (version 2.1), SIRIUS (version 5.8.3), CSI:FingerID (version 4.8), and CANOPUS), the major metabolite was best annotated as “gallic acid”, phenolics (e.g., quinic acid, shikimic acid, and protocatechuic acid), sugar derivatives, and dicarboxylic acids were deduced from this plant species for the first time. The aqueous plant extract efficiently inhibited an influenza A (H1N1) virus infection of MDCK cells with an IC50 of 5.14 µg/mL. Of equal importance, hemolytic activity was absent for this plant extract, signifying its applicability as a safe antiviral agent. Molecular docking suggested that GA interacts with conserved residues (e.g., Arg152 and Asp151) located in the catalytic inner shell of the viral neuraminidase (NA), sharing the same pocket as those of anti-neuraminidase drugs, such as laninamivir and oseltamivir. Additionally, other metabolites were also found to potentially interact with the active site and the hydrophobic 430-cavity of the viral surface protein, suggesting a possibly synergistic effect of various phytochemicals. Therefore, the C. mimosoides aqueous extract may be a good candidate for coping with increasing influenza virus resistance to existing antivirals.
